Turkey Hill Plantation, Georgetown County, South Carolina

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Georgetown, South Carolina, United States
Surnames/tags: Allston, Pyatt, Trapier Slavery Black_Heritage

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Contents 1 Background 1.1 Owners 1.2 Slaves 1.3 Ex Slave Narratives 1.4 Civil War 1.5 Freedmen 1.6 Turkey Hill Cemetery 2 Sources

Background

This Plantation is Under Construction, more sources will follow soon

The Turkey Hill Plantation, originally part of a 2400 acre tract located in Prince Georges Parish, South Carolina.^{[1] [2]} In 1767 the area was reorganized and Turkey Hill fell under "All-Saints Waccamaw".^[3] In the early years the land was owned by Percival Pawley, and then Joseph Allen, who sold it to John Alston Sr.^[4]

John Alston Sr. was a planter. He lived in Prince George, Craven County, South Carolina, when he wrote his will. After his death Turkey Hill was at first bequeathed to his eldest son John, but it actually went to his second son Josias Alston.^[5]

Josias Alston passed the plantation to his cousin Joseph Allston, son of John Sr.'s brother William Alston, 19 Aug 1772.^[6]

Joseph Allston died in 1784. He passed the plantation to his son Thomas Allston. Very little is known about Thomas Allston except that he died in 1794.

Benjamin Allston, son of Josias Alston, was next to receive Turkey Hill. By the time Benjamin owned the plantation the area was called Prince George Winyah.^[7]

When Benjamin died he was buried in the Turkey Hill Plantation Cemetery.^[8] His daughter, Martha Allston Pyatt next inherited Turkey Hill. Her daughter, Charlotte Pyatt, married William Trapier who next managed the plantation.

After Charlotte's death the plantation passed back to the children of Martha's brothers, the Pyatt family.

Owners

• John Alston Sr.
• Josias Alston/Allston
• Joseph Allston
• Thomas Allston
• Benjamin Allston
• Martha Allston Pyatt

Slaves

For more information please see the following pages:

• Slaves of John Alston Sr. 1750
• Slaves of Josias Alston
• Slaves of Joseph Allston 1784
• Slaves of Benjamin Allston
• Slaves of Martha Allston Pyatt

Ex Slave Narratives

(will be edited, placed here for research purposes) "Uncle Welcome, isn't Uncle Jeemes Stuart the oldest liver on Sandy Island?" Welcome: "Jeemes Stuart? I was married man when he born. Jeemes rice-field. (Worker in rice-field) posed himself. In all kinds of weather. Cut you down, down, down. Jeemes second wife gal been married before but her husband dead.

"I couldn't tell the date or time I born. Your Maussa (Master) take it down. When I been marry, Dr. Ward Fadder (Father) aint been marry yet. My mother had twelve head born Oatland. He bought my mother from Virginia. Dolly. Sam her husband name. Sam come from same course. When my mother been bought, her been young woman. Work in rice. Plow right now (Meaning April is time to plow rice fields). I do carpenter work and mind horse for plantation. Come from Georgetown in boat. Have you own carriage. Go anywhere you want to go. Oatland church build for colored people and po-buckra. I helped build that church. The boss man, Mr. Bettman. My son Isaac sixty-nine. If him sixty-nine, I one hundred four. That's my record. Maussa didn't low you to marry till you twenty-two. Ben Allston own Turkey Hill. When him dead, I was twelve years old. Me! (Knocking his chest)"

Welcome Bees— Parkersville, S. C. (Near Waverly Mills, S. C.) Age 104.

Civil War

During the Civil War the plantation was abandoned. The Federal Government took ownership of the plantation and a Freedmen's Bureau Labor contract 1 Jan 1867, was signed under the proprietors D. W. Jordan and Ralph Nesbit, and contracted with freed men for work. Israel Carr and his in-laws (or future in-laws), Daniel Horry and Isabella Horry, signed that labor contract to work at Turkey Hill in 1867.^[9]

Freedmen

The following freed men and women signed a labor contract to work at Turkey Hill in 1867:^[9]

• Lorey Campbell
• Rupet Champlin
• Nannett Champlin
• John Singleton
• Daniel Horry
• Isabella Horry
• August Champlin
• Sally Brown
• Abbey Jon?/Lon/Ton
• Primus Bruce
• Caty Lance
• Hannah Lance
• Myers Brown
• Beck Brown
• Israel Carr
• Binah Cockeling?
• Sylvia Small
• Hannah Allston
• Racheal Brown
• Liverpool Small

Turkey Hill Cemetery

According to Find-a-Grave the following persons are buried at Turkey Hill Plantation Cemetery:^[8]

• Anne E Allston, 1787-23 Nov 1814
• Benjamin Allston, 16 Oct 1765-26 Nov 1847
• Benjamin Allston Jr, 28 Jan 1768-22 Feb 1809
• Charlotte Cantey Allston, 29 Aug 1750-12 Sept 1801
• Mrs Charlotte Ann Allston, 12 Jul 1771-24 Oct 1824
• Charlotte Frances Allston, 1837-JUn 1843
• Mrs Charlotte Mary Nicholson Allston, 1803-18 Feb 1831
• Jane Doe Allston, 1776-1776
• John Allston, 28 Aug 1777-1777
• Mary Charlotte Allston, 1790- 25 Oct 1802
• William Allston Jr, 25 Dec 1736-31 Jul 1780
• William Washington Allston, unknown-1 Sep 1823
• Charlotte Allston Coachman, 1788-18 Jun 1847
• Gussie Washington Eady, 1894-11 Jun 1952
• James Floyde Eady, 10 Mar 1880-28 May 1958
• Sarah Elliott McKewn Johnson
• Mary Pyatt Allston Jones, 1795-Mar 1836
• Mrs Elizabeth Ann Allston Tucker, 1 Nov 1790-13 Sep 1822
• Mary Latin Ward, 1802-10 Jul 1806

Also see: Inscriptions from the Allston Burying-Ground at Turkey Hill Plantation near Waccamaw^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ An Archaeological Study of Willbrook, Oatland, and Turkey Hill Plantations http://chicora.org/pdfs/RS11%20Willbrook%20Plantation.pdf
2. ↑ https://www.turkeyhillplantation.com/about-us/history
3. ↑ All-Saints Waccamaw. Mural Tablets and Tombstone Inscriptions
   Author(s): J. E. H. Galbraith
   Source: The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine , Jul., 1912, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Jul., 1912), pp. 163-176
   Published by: South Carolina Historical Society
   Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27575341
4. ↑ Memorials of seventeenth and eighteenth century South Carolina land titles and index to auditor general memorials, 1731-1775: "Memorials of seventeenth and eighteenth century South Carolina land titles and index to auditor general memorials, 1731-1775"
   Catalog: Memorials of seventeenth and eighteenth century South Carolina land titles and index to auditor general memorials, 1731-1775 Memorial books, v. 5-6
   Film number: 008621905 > image 122 of 1057
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C34L-79TD-R (accessed 8 July 2023)
   • Memorial Deed Bk 5 p.67, Joseph Allen to John Allston
5. ↑ South Carolina wills and related probate matters, *land and property records, *public records, some *marriage contracts, 1671, 1692-1868: "South Carolina wills and related probate matters, *land and property records, *public records, some *marriage contracts, 1671, 1692-1868"
   Catalog: South Carolina wills and related probate matters, *land and property records, *public records, some *marriage contracts, 1671, 1692-1868 Wills, etc., 1747-1756
   Film number: 007648975 > image 174 of 592
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C9PT-G9VN-2 (accessed 8 July 2023)
   • 1750 will of John Alston
6. ↑ Charleston city, Charleston County and South Carolina miscellaneous land records, 1719-1873; index to land records, 1719-1898: "Charleston city, Charleston County and South Carolina miscellaneous land records, 1719-1873; index to land records, 1719-1898"
   Catalog: Charleston city, Charleston County and South Carolina miscellaneous land records, 1719-1873; index to land records, 1719-1898 Land records, v. L4-M4 1774
   Film number: 008139629 > image 218 of 452
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CSK7-TS3J-5 (accessed 8 July 2023)
   • Deed Bk M p.14-23
7. ↑ https://classicalamericanhomes.org/discoveries/the-merry-widow-of-roper-house-mary-coachman-allston/
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2299194/memorial-search?cemeteryName=Turkey%20Hill%20Cemetery
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} South Carolina, Freedmen'...Office Records, 1865-1872: "South Carolina, Freedmen'...Office Records, 1865-1872"
   Catalog: Records of the field offices for the state of South Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872
   Image path: South Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 > Georgetown (subassistant commissioner) > Roll 77, Labor contracts, Apr 1867-Mar 1868 > image 82 of 354; citing NARA microfilm publication M1910 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
   FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-99ZG-8WV5 (accessed 6 July 2023)
   • 1867 Freedmen's Bureau Labor Contract
10. ↑ Inscriptions from the Allston Burying-Ground at Turkey Hill Plantation near Waccamaw
    Author(s): Rev. J. E. H. Galbraith
    Source: The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine , Jul., 1909, Vol. 10, No. 3 (Jul., 1909), pp. 181-183
    Published by: South Carolina Historical Society
    Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27575242